If you have difficulty falling or staying asleep, you will find it interesting to know guidelines to improve the quality of the environment so that your body is ready for rest. There are several sleep hygiene measures that can "train" the brain and body to enter the night in a state of maximum relaxation. Let's say that these measures could be classified into three broad categories:
Habits
Exercise regularly, preferably in the middle of the afternoon.
Avoid naps or reduce them to 30 minutes maximum (this way, sleep will be more restful at night).
Maintain regular times for going to bed and getting up (the body will be able to regulate itself better if it recognizes a recurring wake-sleep pattern).
Intake
Eliminate stimulating drinks (coffee, tea, etc.) after midday.
Drinking a glass of warm milk before going to bed promotes sleep due to its high content of tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin, which in turn is a precursor to melatonin that stimulates sleep.
Quit smoking or reduce consumption (nicotine is a stimulant of the nervous system).
Eat a light dinner 2 hours before going to bed (it promotes proper digestion, you won't feel so "heavy" and you will have time to finish the process before going to sleep).
Environment
Place or store the clock/alarm clock in such a way that you do not see the time (so as not to activate yourself thinking about "how little time you have" or get overwhelmed by "not being asleep anymore").
Prepare the bedroom: reduce light and noise, maintain a temperature between 12-24º, comfortable mattress and comfortable clothing.
Avoid counterproductive activities: reading, watching a movie or series, entering social networks or playing with your cell phone, eating in bed... all these activities activate your body and make associations different from sleep.
If you can't fall asleep 30 minutes after going to bed, you should get up and leave the bedroom to do some relaxing activity. Staying awake in bed will stress you out and make it difficult for you to enter a state of rest. If you have tried these measures without obtaining the expected results, or have encountered obstacles when implementing them in your home, I encourage you to see us for a consultation to develop more personalized guidelines based on your needs.
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